--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Liberal attitudes towards the other are…" description: "\"“Liberal attitudes towards the other are characterized both by respect for otherness, openness to it, and an obsessive fear of harassment. In short, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/slavoj-i-ek-1738_contemporary-society_liberal-attitudes-towards-the-other-are_2380367.jpg" --- # Liberal attitudes towards the other are characterized both… ![“Liberal attitudes towards the other are characterized both by respect for otherness, openness to it, and an obsessive fear of harassment. In short, the other is welcomed insofar as its presence is not intrusive, insofar as it is not really the other. Tolerance thus coincides with its opposite. My…” quote by Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/slavoj-i-ek-1738_contemporary-society_liberal-attitudes-towards-the-other-are_2380367.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/slavoj-i-ek-1738_contemporary-society_liberal-attitudes-towards-the-other-are_2380367.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/slavoj-i-ek-1738_contemporary-society_liberal-attitudes-towards-the-other-are_2380367.jpg) > ““Liberal attitudes towards the other are characterized both by respect for otherness, openness to it, and an obsessive fear of harassment. In short, the other is welcomed insofar as its presence is not intrusive, insofar as it is not really the other. Tolerance thus coincides with its opposite. My duty to be tolerant towards the other effectively means that I should not get too close to him or her, not intrude into his space—in short, that I should respect his intolerance towards my over-proximity. This is increasingly emerging as the central human right of advanced capitalist society: the right not to be ‘harassed’, that is, to be kept at a safe distance from others.”” [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tolerance is framed as a protective distance, turning respect into avoidance and equating safety with non‑intrusion. **In simple terms:** Being tolerant means keeping a safe distance from others. Key Takeaway Recognize when tolerance becomes avoidance. Themes tolerance social distance political correctness capitalism human rights Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - workplace interactions - online discourse - public policy - community building Key Concepts alienation power dynamics identity politics Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect genuine understanding? - When does tolerance become exclusion? A Different Perspective It can suppress genuine engagement and solidarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemporary society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-society/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Human Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-right/) [Intolerance Proximity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerance-proximity-5893539/) [Liberal Attitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-attitudes-2579716/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Intolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-intolerance-5893540/) [Respect Otherness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-otherness-5893541/) [The-other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-other/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Tolerance Coincides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance-coincides-5893542/) ## Related quotes > [Even if everything its detractors say about Fox were true, the most liberal of liberal attitudes would be that one would get credit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-colmes/even-if-everything-its-detractors-say-about-fox-were-true-the-most/) [Alan Colmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-colmes/) > [“...when do I actually encounter the Other 'beyond the wall of language', in the rel of his or her being? 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L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/) [Browse all 41 Contemporary society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Liberal attitudes towards the other are characterized both by respect for otherness, openness to it, and an obsessive fear of harassment. In short, the other is welcomed insofar as its presence is not intrusive, insofar as it is not really the other. Tolerance thus coincides with its opposite. My duty to be tolerant towards the other effectively means that I should not get too close to him or her, not intrude into his space—in short, that I should respect his intolerance towards my over-proximity. 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